English & Literature

Who is Philomene from Cane River and what is their importance? Cane_River English & Literature Philomene | Cane River

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Daughter of Suzette and Eugene, she is born into slavery and is destined to live through the Civil War to become among those slaves freed at the end of the war. Philomene falls in love with a young man named Clement, a slave who lives at a neighboring plantation, and Philomene gives birth to twins, daughters who become known by their nicknames, Thany and Bet. Philomene's owner buys Clement, but their owner's death prompts Oreline to sell Clement to meet debts. Philomene soon falls ill and one of the twins dies, though Philomene is told that both had died. Years will pass before Philomene learns that her surviving daughter, Bet, was raised on a neighboring plantation.